1. Technical Field
This invention relates in general to golf clubs, and more particularly to an adjustable putter in which the angle between the golf club shaft and the golf putter head is adjustable.
2. Background
U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,196, to Romolo Busnardo, inventor of the instant invention, discloses an adjustable golf putter. This putter provides for adjustment of the angle between the golf club shaft and the putter head, as well as the angle of the striking face, and adjustment of the mass of striking face and the putter head body. These adjustments are necessitated by the critical nature of a putter to a golfer's game.
No club in the golfer's ensemble of clubs is used more often than a putter. A typical round of golf involves 18 holes of play. A par round of golf for most courses constitutes 72 strokes. "Regulation" golf usually involves a drive, a second shot on to the green, and two putts. That being the case, 36 strokes in a typical par round of golf will be putts. Many golfers will use the putter even more, depending on the golfer's ability.
The majority of putters on the market follow the conventional wisdom that a putter face needs a positive loft of several degrees. It is believed that loft on a putter is needed to aid roll.
Most putters do, in fact, have several degrees of loft. When a ball is putted, it moves across the green initially by sliding. As the frictional forces of the green cause the spin rate of the ball to increase, the ball eventually stops sliding and begins to spin or roll. It is while the ball is rolling that the putt has the greatest amount of directional stability due primarily to the inertia created by the rolling ball.
Therefore, it would follow that the sooner the ball begins to roll, the greater the control that the player will have over his putt. It is particularly true on very well kept greens. By using a putter having a negative loft, top spin is imparted on the ball when struck, increasing the tendency of the ball to roll rather than slide.
Nevertheless, at times the player would prefer that the putt have several degrees of positive loft, for example, when playing off the fringe or when playing long putts or putts on greens which are not so well kept. In these instances, a few degrees of positive loft may be beneficial for moving the ball nearer the hole.
Accordingly, it would be of benefit to the experienced putter to be able to interchange between a positive loft and a negative loft striking face, depending on course and play conditions. In addition, a golfer may wish to be able to adjust the angle between the golf club shaft and the head of the putter. This angle is called the lie of the club, and other golf clubs have been used which have an adjustable lie. Typical among putters with an adjustable lie is a frictional adjustment means. With a frictional adjustment means, an infinite number of positions can be chosen which determine the angle between the shaft and the putter head. These can range from perpendicular to horizontal. However, the rules of the United States Golf Association (U.S.G.A.) require that the angle between the putter shaft and the putter head be greater than 10 degrees, and that it be fixed in a positive (non-resistance) manner. Adjustable angled putters which adjust by means of a frictional connection do not meet this requirement.
It is to be pointed out that in regulation golf play, the golfer is prohibited, by current regulations, from changing the configuration of the putter once it has been initiated. However, even with such restriction, a golfer using my present invention will enjoy substantial advantages in that he or she will be able to configure the golf putter to meet the particular course grounds restrictions before regulation play begins. The putter can also be adjusted to account for preferences of different players, so one putter may be configured to the preferences of a another owner or user.
Accordingly, it is an objective of this invention to provide an adjustable lie putter, in which the angle chosen between the putter shaft and the putter head is a rigidly fixed position, but a position which can be changed.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide a way to insure that the angle between the putter shaft and the putter head meets the U.S.G.A. requirement that it be greater than 10 degrees.
It is a further objective of the invention to provide a putter shaft in which the striking face of the putter is adjustable for negative loft, positive loft, mass, and the degree of friction between the striking face and the golf ball.
It is a further objective of the invention to provide a striking surface which is supported at its two ends, but free to flex in its middle.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description as follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.